The Queen's Blade III - Invisible Assassin

by T C Southwell

  Shista's victim expired, and the other two men fought to keep her entangled in the net as she spat and ripped at it. Her claws inflicted long, bloody wounds on her captors as she thrust her paws through the net to slash at them, and did their best to stay out of her reach. Minna watched with fading hope as the tightening net hampered the sand cat's struggles more and more, her vocal outrage reaching new heights.

  Olan stopped in surprise as several handmaidens ran past him down the passage with cries of anguish. He recognised the women who tended the Jashimari woman and sprinted after them, grabbing the slowest and yanking her around. The girl sobbed with fear and distress, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  "What is it?" Olan shouted, shaking her. "What's wrong?"

  "The Queen!" the trembling girl wailed. "She's been attacked!"

  Olan released her, and she fled after her companions. He paused, frowning, then ran down the passage after the women.

  Blade looked up in annoyance when the Cotti servant burst in, opening his mouth to berate the man. Olan spoke before he could, his words coming out in a rush.

  "Hurry! Your Queen is in danger!"

  The assassin, who had recently stepped out of the bath tub, sat on a chair clad only in his trousers and boots. He paused in combing his wet hair to regard the servant dispassionately. "Is she?"

  "You have to save her!"

  Blade pondered that statement as the servant seethed with impatience. "You want me to rush into some brawl? Where's your King?"

  "I don't know, but he either doesn't know about this, or is being prevented from reaching her. The guards won't help her; one of the Princes must be involved."

  "And why do you, a Cotti, care about the Jashimari Queen?"

  "She's Kerrion's woman. A better question would be, why aren't you, a Jashimari lord, interested in saving her?"

  Blade bound his hair with a leather thong. "I'm not a warrior. It's not my place to protect her."

  "And how long do you think you'll outlive her?"

  The assassin shrugged, picked up his shirt and donned it. "Probably not long."

  "The King will see to it that your death is a particularly agonising and lingering one when he hears that you refused to protect her. If you have to be paid, here!" He flung a coin at Blade's feet.

  "I don't work for Cotti scum." Blade kicked away the coin, then picked up a dagger and fingered it. "It's not customary to work without the express instructions of the party in question, but I expect that the Queen will honour her debt." Sheathing the dagger in his belt, he picked up three more and rose to his feet, sauntering towards the door.

  Olan hopped with impatience. "Hurry, or you'll be too late!"

  In the corridor, Blade shook off Olan's attempts to drag him along and broke into a fast lope, the servant panting after him. He slowed to walk through the open doors of the Queen's chambers, pausing to take in the scene.

  Two men pinned the wailing sand cat near the wall, tying the net that bound her as she struggled and spat. A blond man knelt over the recumbent Queen, holding her down on a pile of cushions while he menaced her with a dagger.

  "Tell me where he is, or I will cut little pieces off you until you do, Jashimari whore!" the Prince shouted. "Where is the assassin?"

  "Right behind you," Blade murmured.

  Rigal whirled in surprise, almost losing his hold on the struggling Queen. He gawped at Blade, then yelled, "Get him!"

  The cutthroats left the bound cat and charged Blade, drawing their swords. The assassin plucked a dagger from his belt and flung it, impaling one man's throat. The thug fell with a gargled cry, and his comrade hesitated before renewing his charge, raising a brawny arm to protect his throat.

  Blade let him come, then stepped aside at the last moment to avoid the sword that would have run him through and stabbed the man in the side of his neck as he lumbered past. Blood spouted from the severed artery, splattering Blade before he could avoid it. The thug collapsed a few steps further on, his sword clattering from limp fingers.

  The assassin turned to find that the Prince had dragged Minna to her feet, and held her before him as a shield, one arm locked around her throat, the dagger pressed to her chest.

  "Stay back, or she dies!"

  Blade said, "Presumably you came here to kill her, so that hardly fills me with confidence. Are you offering me her life for yours?"

  "Yes, that is it." Rigal sweated, his eyes darting to the bodies of the two men Blade had slain with such ease. "Let me go, and she lives."

  "A moment ago you were demanding my whereabouts, and now that you have found me, you wish to run away?" Blade plucked the last two daggers from his belt and tossed them aside. "Well, here I am, unarmed. If you want to kill me, now is the time to do it. Or are you a coward?"

  "I am no coward," Rigal snarled. "But my men are dead and I am outnumbered. Only a fool would fight against such odds."

  Blade glanced around. "I see only a woman, an old Cotti who will not dare to harm you and... ah, the sand cat, of course. I would say she is not very happy with you right now. Still, she is helpless at the moment."

  "If I release the slut, she will loose the cat."

  "Of course she will, but then, once you are no longer a threat to her friend, the cat will do nothing. She will not protect me."

  Rigal looked confused. "The whore could order her familiar to attack me."

  "She could, but she will not. My Queen knows that I can beat you with one hand tied behind my back. I thought Cotti Princes were supposed to be great warriors, yet you are afraid of an assassin. I am no warrior, but I will take you on, Cotti pup. You are still wet behind the ears. The moment your cutthroats expire, your courage drains away like water down a gutter."

  He stepped closer. "I am the one you really want. You can kill her any time. I am the one who killed your brother, and if I am allowed to live I will kill you too. Now is your chance to put a stop to me, if you have the courage to face me."

  Rigal's face reddened with fury, and he flung the Queen down and leapt at the assassin with a foul curse. Blade spun aside, avoiding the Prince's dagger, but Rigal was young and quick, well trained in fighting skills and angry enough to throw caution to the winds. He turned as Blade spun, slashed at him and inflicted a shallow wound in Blade's arm. The assassin backed away, eyeing his opponent.

  Rigal outweighed him in brawn, topped him by four inches and had the advantage of being almost ten years younger. Minna crawled away and rose to her feet, her eyes fixed on Blade. Olan watched from the doorway, his hands clenched at his sides.

  Rigal grinned, his slanted eyes and narrow visage betraying his wolf kin, and Blade wondered where his familiar was. The Prince sneered, "You are going to die, assassin. Even the King cannot help you now."

  "If you think a scratch will kill me, think again, Cotti scum."

  Minna reached the struggling cat and freed her from the net, hugging Shista's neck as the feline turned to lick her face.

  Rigal feinted and lunged, missing his target as Blade spun away and leapt. His kick struck Rigal on the point of his chin and sent the Cotti Prince staggering. Rigal shook his head to clear it, then clasped his jaw and circled his opponent with more caution, his eyes narrowed beneath knotted brows.

  The Prince lunged again, and Blade swayed aside. Grabbing Rigal's outstretched arm, he twisted it and stabbed Rigal in his side with his own weapon. Rigal growled, jerking the dagger out as Blade jumped out of reach again. The Prince clasped the wound, his face twisted with pain and fury as the assassin circled him. Blade walked right past the daggers he had dropped, his blatant scorn of them a further insult to Rigal, designed to goad him.

  Rigal roared and charged. Blade tried to leap aside, but slipped on the bloody floor. Rigal's shoulder hit Blade's chest, sending him sprawling, and they went down in a tangle of arms and legs. Blade struggled to free himself, knowing that in close fighting he was at a disadvantage.

  Rigal hung on, raising the dagger, and Blade's hand flashed up to g
rip the Prince's wrist, stemming the blow. The Prince flung his weight into the struggle, forcing Blade's arm back, and the weapon moved closer to his throat. The assassin strained to hold the dagger at bay, Rigal's superior weight keeping him pinned as it crept towards his jugular.

  Minna stood up and glanced around, looking alarmed, then ran to fetch a golden candleholder from a table beside the door. Blade grinned savagely as the weapon inched towards his throat, his arm trembling from the strain. Twisting the Prince's wrist, he released the pent-up force of Rigal's strength. The dagger smashed into the floor, bending the blade. The Prince growled and punched Blade in the face, stunning him, then gripped the assassin's throat to throttle him. Blade slapped the Prince's ears, making him yelp and jerk back, releasing the assassin.

  Blade pushed him away, and Rigal dived for one of the fallen daggers, snatched it up and turned on his opponent with the swiftness of a striking snake. Blade flung himself aside, but Rigal came after him, the dagger raised. Rolling away, the assassin whipped around to grab the Prince's wrist again. In a move too fast for the eye to follow, he twisted Rigal's arm and slashed the Prince's throat. Blood pumped from the wound, splattering the assassin. Rigal's eyes opened wide as he clasped the injury, blood pouring between his fingers.

  The Prince struggled to his feet as Blade leapt up. Rigal bent and charged the assassin, who skidded in the blood. Rigal hit Blade in the midriff, lifted him off his feet and smashed him against the wall. Blade's head hit it with a dull crack, and he slid down with the dying Prince, darkness closing in.

  Minna looked around at the scrabbling click of claws on stone. A grey wolf bounded through the door and headed for the fray with a snarl. She swung to Shista, raising an arm to point at the Prince's familiar. The cat sprang at the wolf, and the beasts rolled together, snarling.

  Blade lay still, his eyes closed. The Prince's strength was failing fast, but he raised the dagger to finish off his opponent. Minna strode over to him and brought the candleholder down on his head with all her strength. Rigal slumped, rolling off the assassin.

  The wolf fought valiantly in Shista's throat hold, his struggles growing weaker as she choked the life out of him. Minna fell to her knees beside Blade and lifted his head into her lap as she searched for a pulse in his throat.

  Finding one, she turned to shout at Olan, "Fetch a healer!"

  The Cotti servant vanished into the corridor, and the Queen used the hem of her gown to wipe the blood from Blade's face, none of which was his, she reflected. She gazed down at him, marvelling at the innocence of his features in repose, covered with the blood of his victims, which seemed to sum up his essence. Shista left the wolf's corpse to saunter over and rub herself against Minna, demanding praise for her feat.

  Fearful of discovery, Minna patted Blade's cheek and called his name. She looked around at the sound of feet running in the corridor. Relief washed over her when Kerrion dashed in, skidding to a halt as he took in the blood-splattered room and sprawled bodies. Red marks marred his face and blood oozed from a gash on his chest. The worried frown that wrinkled his brow eased as he trotted over to her.

  "What happened?"

  She glared up at him. "I think you know most of it. Your brother came to kill me."

  He looked at Blade. "Is he alive?"

  "Yes, for the moment. I have sent for a healer."

  Kerrion glanced at his dead brother. "Rigal. I should have guessed."

  "It was a terrible fight."

  "Rigal prided himself in his fighting abilities. He was probably the best warrior of all of us."

  "Help me to put Blade on the bed," Minna said.

  Kerrion shook his head. "He cannot stay here. There will be questions, an enquiry. He must not be found."

  "And how will you explain all this?" She gestured at the carnage.

  "I know not, but we will think of something. For now we must get him to his room."

  Blade groaned, and Minna looked down at him with a smile of relief. He grimaced and opened his eyes, then clutched his gut, his face twisted with pain, and glared up at the two who bent over him. Minna touched his shoulder, but he shrugged her off.

  "Leave me be."

  "Are you all right?"

  "No, I am not. I feel like I have just been kicked by a mule." Blade struggled to sit up, bowed his head and fingered the back of it. "This is going to be expensive, mark my words." He raised his head and glowered at the King. "So much for stopping their plan, your idea failed miserably. Killing the planner after the plans have been laid is like closing the gate after the goats have run off. He should have been the target. Instead, I had to fight the bastard on his terms."

  "What do you mean?" Kerrion looked puzzled.

  "Blade was unarmed," Minna explained.

  "Against Rigal? Why?"

  Blade snorted. "Because your brother was too cowardly to face me. He was brave when he had the Queen at his mercy, but when I arrived he turned yellow."

  Kerrion glanced at his brother's corpse. "But his throat has been cut..."

  "Blade used Rigal's dagger," Minna supplied.

  "How?"

  The Queen made a helpless gesture. "In truth, it was too quick for me to see. I just know that he did."

  The assassin inspected the wound in his arm, then rose to his feet, doubled over. Minna stopped herself from putting out a steadying hand, but Kerrion did, and Blade shrugged it off with a growl. He glanced around at the corpses and wrinkled his nose at the smell of blood, paling, to Minna's surprise. Averting his eyes, he raised a hand to cover his nose, found it bloody and turned to limp across the room to the basin of water on one of the tables. Plunging his hands into it, he scrubbed them.

  "I've had enough of this," he said in the Cotti manner of speech, ignoring the Queen's frown. "I want to go back to Jashimari. Since I have come here I've had nothing but pain and suffering, first in your damned prison, now this. I've had enough. This was not part of the deal. I'm not a damned fighter, and I don't like pain. My fee for this is my freedom."

  Kerrion glanced at Minna, shaking his head. "Not yet. There is still Ronan, and at least one other, though I do not know who, as yet."

  Blade splashed his face and scrubbed it, rubbing off most of the blood on a towel, then continued to wash his hands as if he could not get them clean. "Why don't you just poison their food or wine and put an end to all of this? What do I get for my trouble? You can offer me nothing but my life and my freedom, yet the attraction of those things is starting to pale in light of all I'm suffering to gain them." His voice rose. "I want to leave this stinking Cotti hellhole!"

  The King shook his head again, ignoring Minna's worried look. "Not yet."

  Blade flung the basin of bloody water across the room with a resounding clatter, making Minna start and Kerrion's eyes widen in surprise. The Queen had seen one of Blade's tantrums, but Kerrion had never witnessed the assassin in a rage. Staggering a little, Blade snatched up one of the fallen daggers and advanced on the King.

  "Then kill me now, damn you. I have no wish to live as a pawn, forced to do your bidding or be tortured to death. I will not have that held over my head at every turn! I will not be kicked around and used to achieve your aims and ensure your happiness, for which I care nothing and gain nothing. Call your guards!"

  Kerrion stepped back from Blade's fury, looking uncertain. Minna reached out to touch the assassin, hoping to calm him before the situation got out of hand.

  "You saved my life, Blade."

  He swung on her. "I care nothing for your life. Nothing! What reward is that, keeping alive a queen who should be dead, who loves a Cotti King? What do I get for it, a damned medal?"

  She recoiled from his venom, stunned by it. Kerrion found his voice again, and surprisingly, did not react angrily to the assassin's outburst. "Who threatened you?"

  "Your stinking servant," Blade snarled. "He promised me a painful death if I didn't protect the Queen, and I didn't doubt him."

  "Olan?" Kerrion shook his head
. "He had no right to say that."

  "But he spoke the truth. I'm only alive now so you can use me to protect the Queen. Had I not, I would have died at your hands. I know how much you hate me. I know you long for my death. I've humiliated you more than once, and although you have had some revenge, it's not enough, is it? I agreed to work for the Queen, I did not consent to be threatened and blackmailed as soon as a crisis arose!"

  "No. If any harm had come to Minna, Rigal would have died at my hands, not you." Kerrion glanced at the Queen, who still looked worried, her eyes darting between them. Blade scowled and hefted the dagger.

  Kerrion went on, "I will make you this promise. As of now you are free to go. I will not stop you. You have earned your freedom. It is I who am at fault for ill-treating you and coercing you. You have saved the life of the woman I love, and for that I am eternally grateful. The gratitude of a king is no small thing, Lord Conash. But I have a final request to make of you."

  "Prince Ronan."

  "Yes. Name your fee for his death and I will meet it, I swear."

  Blade turned his head and spat, his contempt for the Cotti King written in every line of his stance and chilly glance. "What's the catch? If I don't do this, I get to walk back to Jashimari, I suppose?"

  "No, I will ensure that you travel home in luxury."

  "What can you offer me?" the assassin sneered. "I have all the riches I could ever want in Jashimari, lands and titles aplenty. Can you give me back my family? Restore my manhood?"

  "Not the latter, but..." Kerrion looked thoughtful. "Perhaps one of your brothers or sisters survived, and is still alive somewhere in the desert."

  The assassin calmed a little, glaring at the King. "I saw them die."

  "All of them?"

  Blade hesitated. "All but one. My older sister, Alenstra."

  "Then I will find her, no matter what it takes. If she lives I shall bring her to you. If not, I will bring you word of her. Do we have an accord?" The King held out his hand, and Blade regarded it with deep suspicion.